Field of Endeavor
The present application relates to additive manufacturing and more particularly to additive manufacturing of a complex product.
State of Technology
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,088,432 for dynamic mask projection stereo micro lithography contains the state of technology information reproduced below.
The present invention uses micro stereolithography to provide a new method to fabricate 3D micro or nano structures that can be used for a wide variety of devices such as micro/nano-electronics, biotechnology, MEMS, biomedical devices and in the manufacture of optical devices such as lenses and mirrors. The invention is based on using advanced dynamic mask projection stereo micro-lithography on a photoresist to form a layer, building an object layer by layer, to achieve ceramic micro-stereolithography for the first time. A 3D solid image, which may be a model designed by CAD software at a PC, is sliced into a series of 2D layers, each 2D layer being displayed at the dynamic mask via micro-mirror deflections projected onto the photoresist.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,237 for electrophoretic diamond coating and compositions for affecting same contains the state of technology information reproduced below.
The present invention is of method and composition which can be used the fabrication of diamond coatings or free standing products. Specifically, the present invention can be used for the fabrication of such coatings under ambient temperature and pressure conditions, in increased growth rate, featuring improved thickness control and uniformity on irregular shapes, over a variety of substrate materials. Most specifically, the present invention can be used for the fabrication of such coatings on the surface of substrates, such as of milling cutters, bites (inserts), end mills and drills each having an excellent scale-off (or peeling-off) resistance, various abrasion (wear) resistant members such as valves and bearings, and substrates acting as heat sinks for electronic parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,311 for a microchannel heat sink assembly contains the state of technology information reproduced below.
Heat generation is a common problem with semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits. Temperature buildup can reduce the lifetime of semiconductor components, change their electrical characteristics, and at high temperatures, sufficiently degrade the semiconductor junction to render the circuit useless. Most consumer electronic devices rely on passive cooling, or use fans to cool electrical components. However, these cooling means are inadequate for high performance circuits, such as those that must dissipate a very large amount of power, or for closely packed circuits, or circuits that are designed to function extremely quickly. In such circuits, heat buildup is a factor that can limit system performance. If available, a more aggressive, more powerful cooling means can be used to provide better performance. Active cooling means, including forced coolant flow systems, have been used with integrated circuits. For example, a so-called “thermal conduction module”, comprising a complicated structure including pistons and springs, is presently used in IBM products. Microchannels, which are small microscopic channels formed in silicon wafers, have been disclosed to be effective heat sinks for integrated circuits. When a coolant is forced through such microchannel coolers, it has been demonstrated that a large amount of heat can be removed from a small area. For example, Tuckerman, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,067 discloses a semiconductor chip including microscopic channels defined by fins in intimate contact with the chip. The microscopic channels are enclosed by a cover, to enclose the channels. Fluid flow through the channels is disclosed to be approximately laminar. Microchannels themselves have received much attention. However, little attention has been focused on the means for delivery of coolant to the microchannels.